- Training 3D Animation & FX
- Promotion 2022
In Nantes, second-year 3D Animation and Special Effects students worked on chara design through the stories of Sherlock Holmes. The hero himself, Dr Watson, Irene Adler and Miss Marple were the students' models. The programme included work on characterisation and representation.
Chara design
Chara design is a pre-production stage in the development of a game or film. It involves character design, and more specifically character personality. Based on a written description of a character, the task is to transcribe his or her character traits and identity through drawing. Stéphane Heurteau, a teacher in Nantes, supervises this course and works with the 3D Animation & Special Effects students to get them to produce the most accomplished chara designs possible.
Marine Gauthier, a student at Nantes, explains:“The more complex the character, the more complicated the chara design is going to be. The aim is to understand the character just by looking at him, to understand his qualities and faults just by looking at his appearance
Giving a character a visual dimension is a fundamental exercise in 3D animation, and an essential step in pre-production.it’s important to know your character down to the last detail,” explains Marine. First in 2D, before moving on to 3D, hence the importance of turns. These show the character from every angle, which will then be used in 3D to create the most faithful character possible, in volume. You have to vary the postures, the facial expressions, the ground search…”
Sherlock Holmes
This year in Nantes, since January, the students have been working on characters from the world of Sherlock Holmes. Interpretation is free, but it is important to find the distinctive features of the characters. The aim is to be able to recognise each character at a glance.
The students worked on a character of their choice, gradually and in order of ease. They will finish by tackling Sherlock Holmes in the next few weeks.
Discover below the different interpretations of the characters from this universe:
